I am beyond disappointed with Alpharetta Pediatrics. After repeated frustrating experiences,…read moretoday's incident was the final straw.
On multiple occasions, my son has needed blood work recommended by this office, only for staff to attempt the draw, fail, and send us somewhere else. These experiences are stressful and traumatic for everyone involved, and it's ridiculous to repeatedly put a child through this when the office cannot successfully perform the testing it recommends.
More recently, I brought my son in for an unexplained rash that had appeared all over his body. The provider essentially guessed that it was chickenpox, sent us for blood work, and left us waiting more than a week for results. It wasn't chickenpox. During that entire time, my son was dealing with an extensive rash, and we received no meaningful guidance, treatment plan, or help. I understand that not every condition has an immediate answer, but I expect a provider to investigate further, explain next steps, and at least try to help a child who is clearly suffering.
Today's experience was the final straw. I had a 9:00 a.m. appointment and spent over an hour in traffic getting there. At 8:35, when my estimated arrival time was 9:11, I called to give the office a courtesy heads-up that I was running late. No one answered, so I left a voicemail. Someone from the office eventually called me back and explained that the usual grace period was 10 minutes, asking me to call back with an ETA. I tried calling back, but again, no one answered. I had already taken time off work and continued to the appointment.
When I arrived around 9:17-9:18, I was told they had extended the grace period to 15 minutes, but I was still being turned away because I was a couple of minutes past the 9:15 cutoff.
When I questioned this, I pointed out that there have been plenty of occasions when I've been brought back to an exam room on time, only to sit there waiting an hour for the doctor. Their explanation? Sometimes they're on "kid time" because children are unpredictable.
I responded, "Yeah, kind of like traffic?"
They had nothing to say. They simply refused to see me and offered an appointment later that afternoon, as though driving home and returning to take even more time off work was a reasonable solution.
What if my child had thrown up in the car? What if there had been an unexpected situation involving one of the very children this practice serves? Would that have been acceptable? I understand the need for scheduling policies, but I called ahead, relied on the grace period their own staff communicated, and made every effort to get there. Apparently, flexibility is expected from patients when the office runs behind, but not extended to patients when circumstances outside their control cause a delay.
Between the repeated failed blood draws, the lack of answers and support for my son's rash, the delayed lab results, and today's inflexible, dismissive treatment, I have completely lost confidence in this practice.
A pediatrician's office should make parents feel that their children are in capable hands. Instead, I've experienced poor follow-through, inadequate help when my child needed it, and a complete lack of consideration for my time.
I have two children and understand firsthand that kids are unpredictable. What I don't understand is why that understanding is apparently expected to flow in only one direction.
I would not recommend this practice to other parents. My children deserve better, and we will be finding care elsewhere.
